# Gawith Hoggarth & Co. – Bob’s Chocolate Flake



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake

Bob's Chocolate Flake is a tobacco I have been meaning to try for a long time, and as I have just finished my first tin of it I figured I would share my thoughts about it. The tin description says _"Virginias, Latakia, and Burley tobaccos with hints of chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla". _











In The Tin/Pouch
Upon opening the tin I was greeted with a plastic bag filled with a brown and black broken flake tobacco. This tobacco is a blend of Virginia, Burley, and Latakia, and it smells wonderful. I was greeted with a light aroma of chocolate and tobacco that is slightly sweet but not in the way an aromatic is, and a slight hint of the woodsy Latakia. Straight from the tin this tobacco seemed just a tad on the moist side, so I let some out to dry. 

The Burn
After a little drying time, I rubbed out the broken flakes and filled my pipe. I smoked it exclusively in a briar pipe that I had decided would be my Lakeland pipe. The tobacco lit fairly well although not as easily as I would have liked, as it required several attempts to get going. I also found it necessary to relight sometimes, though that could have been operator error. There was a little moisture build up at the end of the bowl, and on occasion I did find it necessary to run a pipe cleaned through the pipe, but that could have been due to experimenting with drying times. The tobacco does burn well when properly lit, and can burn to the bottom only leaving a few pieces of un-burnt tobacco. 

The Smoke
There is a slight amount of the Lakeland flavoring in this tobacco but it isn't overpowering, and it tends to disappear toward the end of the bowl. This tobacco also has Latakia in it, but for the life of me I don't taste it at all. The smoke is a nice rich creamy smoke with flavors of chocolate, vanilla, Lakeland, and tobacco all mingling in perfect harmony. As the bowl progresses the Virginias begin to play a larger role as the Lakeland flavor begins to dissipate. I experienced no bite with this tobacco, and the smoke was very cool. 

The Aroma
Don't expect the aroma from this tobacco to get the same complements that an aromatic does. From what I can tell this has a very soapy aroma that is stronger than the actual flavor. But this was just from me trying to smell it as I smoked it outside, so I can't make any real statement about the room note. 

The Packaging, and Price
This tobacco can be purchased in a tin, or in bulk quantities. I purchased a 50 gram tin for $10.07 from www.smokingpipes.com though they also sell it in bulk for $5.79 an ounce. It is also available at www.pipesandcigars.com for $10.20 a tin or $4.75 an ounce. The particular tin I received did not have a good seal on it, I don't know if this is a common problem or if I just got a bad tin, so if you age your tobacco in the tins you may want to be aware of that.

The Bottom Line
I have a hard time classifying this tobacco, it isn't a straight tobacco because of the flavorings, It is certainly a Lakeland, you could also maybe call it a light aromatic, but I'm not sure. At first I didn't really care for this tobacco, but bowl after bowl it grew on me. For all the issues this tobacco has with burning and moisture, net positives outweigh the negatives by a large margin. Bottom line is that I love this stuff, it smokes great and the flavor has decent character yet the Lakeland isn't too strong. Don't get me wrong, you're still going to taste the Lakeland in this but I don't think it is as overpowering as in other tobaccos. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who isn't put off by Lakeland tobaccos. This stuff has found its way onto my list of tobaccos to keep on hand, and I will be ordering more of it, though most likely in bulk. 

My Other Reviews
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...ds-stop-one-john-middleton-s-carter-hall.html
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...-stop-two-john-middleton-s-prince-albert.html
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/pipe-related-reviews/295654-dan-tobacco-blue-note.html
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/pipe-related-reviews/295922-mcclelland-holiday-spirit.html
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...8878-mcclelland-bulk-805-carolina-deluxe.html


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Great review. Thanks, brother. I've been eyeing this one for a while....might be time to snag a tin.


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## BrewShooter (Mar 17, 2011)

I've had two tins of it so far, neither one was sealed. It is a great blend!


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

BrewShooter said:


> I've had two tins of it so far, neither one was sealed. It is a great blend!


So it seems like it is a common issue and not just an isolated incident... Thanks for the info BrewShooter


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Another good review, Nick. :tu I went through 4 ounces of Bob's Chocolate in as many weeks, I think. Great stuff! Mine was bulk, though, and I suspect that the bulk has less of the Lakeland essence than the tinned -- at least from what I can garner from the reviews. I can't say personally, because I haven't smoked the tinned version.

Just bringing it up for those who might miss BCF for fear of the Lakelands -- get the bulk and maybe you wouldn't be bothered by it at all.


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## Kodos44 (Jun 22, 2011)

I also purchased this in bulk. There was a decent Lakeland presence in the first half of the bowl but after that it disappeared completely. I also had trouble getting/keeping this stuff lit at first. It seems that this tobacco improves in both flavor and ease of smoking if allowed a significant time to dry out. I'm not a big latakia fan but this stuff I will surely order in bulk again soon!

Scott


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

Kodos44 said:


> I also purchased this in bulk. There was a decent Lakeland presence in the first half of the bowl but after that it disappeared completely. I also had trouble getting/keeping this stuff lit at first. It seems that this tobacco improves in both flavor and ease of smoking if allowed a significant time to dry out. I'm not a big latakia fan but *this stuff I will surely order in bulk again soon*!
> 
> Scott


I agree, I think it is my favorite GH&C tobacco at the moment.


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